‘Two worlds’: Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven look to bring together fan bases

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 14: Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven pose for a photograph after facing off ahead of their Heavyweight fight during the Glory In Giza launch press conference at The Pelligon on April 14, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Ahead of their upcoming battle at the pyramids on May 23, Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven sit down with Ring Magazine to discuss the big event and their thoughts on what this means. While many pure boxing fans aren’t thrilled with the idea of Usyk boxing someone from an entirely different discipline, these two think it’ll make for a fun fight where worlds collide.

Verhoeven on believing Usyk is the kind of challenge he’s been waiting for

“Within the sport of kickboxing, I’ve been dominating it for such a long time and I was just looking and open for something new. And then this crossed my path, so I felt blessed…I never want to be comfortable, like how can you outdo yourself and how can you be the best version of you? You can only be the best version if you have the best version of somebody else across from you. So let’s put that to the test.”

Usyk on whether he prepared for this fight any differently considering the opponent

“No, my prepare not change. We do the same work but sometimes we change sparring partner…It’s normal because it’s boxing fight.”

Verhoeven on how his style will translate to boxing

“If you look at boxing and how fighters are built, it’s different. Within kickboxing you get challenges, like sometimes you just try something and sometimes you succeed and sometimes you do not. So earlier in my career I lost some fights. Now, was that bad? I don’t think so because I think from the fights that I lost I learned even more.”

Usyk on what makes Verhoeven a good matchup

“Because it’s two worlds: boxing and kickboxing. Undisputed in kickboxing, I’m undisputed in boxing. But with two worlds I think it’s good for fans and challenge.”